The Golden Girls

You might not have heard of Andrew Gold, but you've definitely heard his work.

The singer-songwriter worked with luminaries like Linda Ronstadt, Art Garfunkel, Celine Dion, James Taylor and Sir Paul McCartney in the '70s, but he was most famous for the iconic tune 'Thank You For Being a Friend,' which was used as the theme song for 'The Golden Girls' during the sitcom's seven-year run.

Gold died Friday of a heart attack in Los Angeles at age 59. You know what this means -- Betty White will truly outlive us all.

After the jump, sing along with us as we honor Gold's life (and amazing contribution to the TV landscape).

Betty White has had a prolific career spanning nearly six decades, but even for her, 2010 was a busy year. The 88-year-old actress and comedienne enjoyed a renaissance that seemed to officially cement her role as America's sassy grandma. Betty hosted 'Saturday Night Live,' guest-starred on 'Community,' got her own show ('Hot in Cleveland') and made a bevy of appearances on late-night and daytime talk shows. We've chosen these highlights from arguably her best year ever. Check out our favorite Betty White clips and vote for your favorite moment.

Harold Gould, who starred on 'Rhoda' and 'The Golden Girls,' passed away Saturday in Woodland Hills, Calif., after a battle with prostate cancer, his spokeswoman, Jaime Larkin, told the NY Times. He was 86.

Gould is survived by his wife, the former Lea Shampanier, who he married in 1950; a daughter, Deborah; two sons, Joshua and Lowell; and five grandchildren.

Gould was an American actor best known for playing Martin Morgenstern on 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' and its spin-off, 'Rhoda.' He also appeared as Miles Webber on 'The Golden Girls.'

Beginning this week -- Wednesday at 10PM ET on TV Land -- four women will pool their comic resources in a new television program called 'Hot in Cleveland.' Whether it takes off or not, one thing is undeniably true about the history of this formula -- four women in situation comedy -- it has been a big hit in the past.

The most rewarding parts about writing a book are usually the advance payment beforehand, or the acclaim afterward. But for me, with 'The Q Guide to The Golden Girls,' it was the homework.

In the spring of 2006, I had the excuse to revisit old favorite 'Golden' episodes, all in the name of journalism. And even better, I had the opportunity to interview Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan in their respective homes, where I could not only ask them outright about their careers, but could also observe firsthand a small slice of their own real lives. For a gay man who had grown up on Dorothy Zbornak's quips and Blanche Devereaux's steamy sex stories, this was fantasy camp.

With her sixth husband, Morrow Wilson, not at home when I arrived at her apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Rue answered the door in a bathrobe, fresh from the shower. Then, because this interview was going to be captured on video for the Archive of American Television (it's now viewable, in fact, here), I was able to watch as the Oklahoma native, then 72, went into makeup, transforming gradually into a certain beautiful, carefully coiffed Miami slut.

Today, we lost a brilliant comedienne with the death of Rue McClanahan at the age of 76. For most female stars who have images that are based on sex appeal, their prime years are when they're in their 20s or 30s, brimming with youth and allure. The secret success of 'Golden Girl' McClanahan is that she made her mark as a femme fatale when most actresses her age were struggling to find roles.

Rue was a master at making sexy fun, and she imbued her 'Golden Girl' alter ego, Blanche Devereaux, with all the passion and lust of a woman half her age. It made her character hilarious and lovable, but beneath the comedy was a real message about believing in your own sexual attractiveness no matter how old you are.

Writer Susan Harris created the character of Blanche, but it was Rue McClanahan who made her so memorable. As Blanche, she was overtly sexual and proud of it. She loved men and loved that men loved her back. Her beaus came in all shapes and sizes, ethnicities and ages. If you were a guy, you were on Blanche's radar.

Though she appeared on a number of television shows in her career, including 'Maude' and 'Mama's Family,' Rue McClanahan will arguably be best remembered for her performance as Southern belle Blanche Deveraux on 'The Golden Girls.'

McClanahan, who died today at age 76, played Blanche for seven seasons on the hugely successful NBC sitcom, and garnered more than enough laughs, tears and, in Blanche's case, men to earn a permanent slot in television history.

This leaves the resurgent Betty White as the only one of the 'Golden Girls' quartet who's still with us, a remarkable thought considering that it didn't seem like that long ago when White, McClanahan, Bea Arthur and Estelle Getty were all making us laugh on Saturday nights.

Most people know McClanahan from her 'Girls' role of sexy senior Blanche Devereaux. But McClanahan's on-screen career stretches back almost fifty years, and she's been featured in a number of interesting television roles before and since her years on that lanai in Miami.

Here are some of the more interesting parts of Rue's career you may or may not have known about:

Think about reality TV, and what usually springs to mind is a bunch of youngsters living in homes together, performing on talent shows, or trying to get their careers rolling -- sometimes all at the same time.

But let's not forget the elder statespeople who already had a stunning career behind them, only to come back into the public eye by participating in a reality show. Perhaps these celebrity veterans helped to pave the way for 'Sunset Daze,' a new show premiering April 28 at 10PM ET on WE tv that follows a group of people at a retirement community in Arizona's Sun City.

Lest you think it's all pudding and painkillers, rest assured there will be sex! Guns! Skydiving! And motorcycles!

White has said she wants to do the show, and now Michael Ausliello over at Entertainment Weekly is reporting that negotiations are underway for White to host the show later this season. But she wouldn't host it alone. The episode would be a "Women of Comedy" episode, with people like Molly Shannon on board and possibly Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Seems like they might not want White - who is 88 years old - to have to host the entire live show herself.

This could still be a great show anyway. But if they're getting White, why not get some other classic female TV personalities? Wouldn't it be great to have, say, Mary Tyler Moore, Rue McClanahan, and Cloris Leachman join White on the show? I'm sure we could think of other women from TV history that could co-host with White.

One of my favorite things happening in television right now is the push to get Betty White to host 'Saturday Night Live.' I've loved Betty White my entire life, from watching her on reruns of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show,' to listening to her tales about St. Olaf on 'The Golden Girls.' What's especially great about this movement is that it's not driven by kitschy nostalgia. Sure, that's part of it, but a big portion of this drive is based on the simple fact that Betty White is hands-down one of the funniest women currently working in Hollywood.

Now, White is talking to People magazine about all of the hullabaloo, and she seems surprised that fans are taking such an interest. White says, "That just came out of left field. It's ridiculous. I don't think Lorne Michaels even knows about it, so we won't worry about it." While she may not be worried about it, that doesn't mean it's not going to happen.

Whether people remember her from 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' or 'The Golden Girls' (or even 'The Golden Palace') or her Super Bowl Snickers commercial, they want more Betty. While it's unlikely Lorne Michaels will do anything with 'SNL' that he doesn't want to do, this could be a publicity boon for the show. On the other hand, the public is very fickle when it comes to this sort of thing.

Can the 88 year-old actress even handle the stress of a rehearsal week followed by a late-night live show? Filming a commercial or a clip for '30 Rock' is one thing, but this would require a level of energy she may not have anymore.

Now where is that Facebook campaign for Abe Vigoda to guest-host 'SNL'?